New Buffet at the Orlean's? Any Comments?

Just back yesterday from a 4 day stay at the Orleans and had three meals at the buffet while there. Breakfast once and two dinners. First dinner was Tuesday night and although I wouldn't say it was terrible we weren't impressed either. The first thing that struck me as odd was the salad bar. The back row of toppings is so far back that the average height person literally has to bend at the knees to be able to reach it while trying to maneuver around the sneeze guard. I never realized cucumbers were such a hot commodity. There was a good selection of meats - I recall they had at least three and maybe four different items at the carving stations in addition to other things like ribs and pork chops. What they didn't have was any real choice of vegetables - I only saw corn the first night. Their dessert selection was adequate, but nothing really stood out as excellent.
We went back for breakfast and dinner on Wednesday being that it was YAH day and it was free. You know, the kind of free where you gamble and lose enough that you should have just paid for it in the first place. Hubby had a made to order omelette which he dubbed as excellent. He would have liked to have had some toast with it but there is no toaster and he didn't realize that you need to ask an employee to make you some. I had the biscuits and gravy and some sausage, which were just kind of bland. We also had some fresh fruit, the usual melon, grape, pineapple combo. Dinner that night was basically a repeat of the night before. If we hadn't had the YAH vouchers I'm pretty sure we would have eaten somewhere else.
As far as the layout and decor I could find no fault with either. There is ample seating without it being crowded, and although I did kind of miss the old tables with the leaf print on them I like the new look too. Kind of a silver/grayish theme with pops of color from the two huge decorative pieces hanging from the ceiling. Overall we probably would go back but only if we have a food credit or on YAH day. I wouldn't pay full price as it stands now, which says a lot since we usually eat most of our meals at buffets when we're in Vegas.

 

I'll never forget going to the buffet at the Orleans when it first opened. It was located in the Oyster Bar space, and served a lot of authentic cajun/creole dishes. It was delicious.

 

Also thanx to sura for the in depth review!

 

Here's my Yelp review from lunch a week ago

"The new buffet name is Medley. For me to consider going back, they need to change their tune.

It seems like everything that was fine with the old buffet, they decided to go with the opposite on the new one.

From the way they get you in there to the fact there's no signs for at least half the items to the bland food, this is an utter disaster.

I hope they can get their act together soon because there'll be no one coming back if they keep this up"

 

whatever happened to quality? does anyone ever try to impress, or exceed expectations? management everywhere seems to be satisfied to offer generic, low quality crap. Boyd's has been around long enough that they should know how to do better.
if I were debuting a new buffet, I would want the diners to have something great to talk about and spread the word. and I would want them to come back soon. I would want them to be stuffed and pleased, and then waddle over to dump some money into the slots.

 

Looks like another remodel where they only fixed the look and didn't respond to the negatives folks had. People liked the buffet for the value but there were a ton of people who thought the food was just okay. Ondori was the one place I was a little impressed by but the last time I was there the food and service were both worse. If they want to grow the audience for the Orleans, they need the food quality all throughout the property to get better and doing it without raising prices anymore.

 

We just got back from a 3 three day stay at the Orleans, and ate at the buffet most of the time......yes, the price has gone up, but come on people, the food is just fine and you still get your card discount. I guess some people expect Bacchanel Buffet quality and selection at what, one quarter or so the cost? I am no food snob, but my girlfriend is pickier than I am, and she liked the place.....to each their own, I guess......

 

For the target audience of the casino, people want bang for the buck. A pretty space won't justify a price increase with the typical crowd and the Orleans restaurant remodel is producing pretty spaces efficiently but not delivering better food. They would have gone further improving the food and not remodeling. I assume the goal is to grow the target audience or to try and focus on different demos but they need to do something to develop a positive WOM if that's their goal. Just fine food won't cut it.

 

Just saw the ad on this Board. Prices are lower for Bconnected members. I saw $9.99 for Sapphire members for Breakfast.

 

Do they still serve crawfish for dinner?

 

Think I will continue to eat at Gold Coast's buffet.

 

At least start out with good quality food and deteriorate over time as so many chains do.
I remember when Arby's actually sliced the roast beef for your sandwich just like a carving station. Now the roast beef is like thin paper and tastes artificial.
I remember driving 10 miles to eat a Mickey d's back in the 70's cause it was so good. Everything was always hot too.
I remember when you looked down at your plate in the Red Lobster and saw food covering it. Now you look down and see mostly plate.

Hey, maybe we'll get lucky and their gonna reverse this whole process. Try a new business model where everything get's better year after year.

 

I really enjoyed the old Buffet. I loved those beef ribs. They were huge and reminded me of the Flintstones ribs.

I have a simple palate and I'm easy to please. Their buffet wasn't spectacular but the food was decent and tasty.

So we know the price went up. But what exactly has changed for the worse as far as the food? Was it lacking in variety or in taste? Or both? How can they screw up fried chicken, roast beef, basic pasta dishes, pork and beef ribs? The Orleans never was known for exotic food, just basic everyday food.

But when it comes to food, someone's favorite is another's worst nightmare. It's very subjective.

I guess I'll make my assessment on my next visit there.

 

Boyd's primary demographic is the same as Cracker Barrel and Bob Evan's, so I'm absolutely flabbergasted to hear that some find their food bland.

 

This video is from one of my favorite poker vloggers who goes by the name of Pokerkraut. (Kevin is his real name.) He and his wife take us on a tour of the medley buffet. Start viewing around the 4:15 mark and it finishes around 9:00. The quality of the video is excellent and so is the buffet!

 

beat me to it. was going to post kraut's vid. he seemed to like it

 

WHAT? Are you saying that the beef ribs are no longer? They were one of my favorite items. Maybe I'll see for myself in a couple weeks if it's comped.

 

Cracker Barrel has Boyd's buffets beat by a mile. and cheaper.

 

Seniors eat free on Wednesdays, both lunch and dinner for about 100 to 150 points - (takes about a half hour of .25 VP). It certainly wasn't gourmet, but good and filling. Two items that stood out were the turkey breast - very juicy, and the watermelon chunks - they got lucky and had a perfect watermelon a week ago.

 

I'm sorry, I posted in past tense but I hope the ribs are still offered. I've never visited the new Buffet.